Predictable Betrayal
by spinspin
Summary: Chapter Seven the end is Up! What would have happened if Ziva had realized that Ari was after Gibbs and his team? This is my version of Twilight which could be taken as AU or just reading between the lines of what happened on the show. KateGibbs.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: NCIS belongs to DPB, CBS and Paramount. I am doing the following for my own entertainment and am making no profit.

Author's note: Hello to anyone who is reading this, this is my first attempt at writing NCIS fanfiction so please go a little easy on me. This is my way of dealing with Twilight denial, though I do like both Ziva and Jenny Shepard's characters which is why they are here. I hope that you enjoy this I know that this idea may be a little far fetched but that is what fanfiction is for right:)

Prologue

Ziva David set in her office looking at the open files that now lay scattered over her desk. It wasn't looking good. No it was decidedly looking very, very bad. With a sigh so soft that many would not even notice it, she picked up her phone. "I need to speak to Jenny Shepard."

"_May I ask who's calling?" _ The voice over the phone said sounding bored.

"Ziva David." The audible click over the line signaled that she was being transferred. It would only be moments now, just moments and she would betray her own bother.

"_Shalom Ziva, is this about the op?" _

"No Jen, this is about something much more dangerous." Ziva fought down the slight tremble that came through in her voice.

"_What could be more dangerous then terrorists?"_ Jen tried to keep her voice light and airy but there was something in the Mossad agent's tone that had her truly worried. When the other woman didn't answer for several moments she decided to drop all pretense. _"Ziva why are you calling me?"_

"It's about my brother." It came out as little more then a whisper, taking a deep breath she continued sounding more like the in control person that she was with each word. "We need to meet. I don't want to discuss this over the phone. Our usual spot in an hour?"

She didn't even wait for a reply before returning the phone none to gently in its' cradle. The first step was complete now all she had to do was find the guts to continue what she started.


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer: NCIS belongs to DPB, CBS and Paramount, I'm just doing this for fun.

Chapter One

She sat on a park bench overlooking the Washington Monument, a Robert Ludlum novel open across her lap. Even though the sun shone brightly she pulled her coat a little tighter trying to rid herself of the unrelenting cold feeling that wouldn't go away. She could hear the clicking of heals along the sidewalk and knew that Jen had arrived; there was no mistaking the confidant steps. She didn't turn, as the red headed woman approached, didn't even look up as she sat down at the opposite end of the park bench and began to eat an apple. Looking every bit the part of a government employee out for a late lunch.

"Ziva you need to tell me what this is all about, what has Ari done now?" Was murmured between bites.

"It isn't what he has done, Jen. Or maybe it is I just don't know." They sat in silence for a moment as Ziva thought about how to best verbalize what she had discovered, what a part of her always had feared. "He is running an Al Qeada terrorist cell out of DC. He tells me that he is trying to shut down the cell, but I know that he's lying. I've lost control of him, Jen." She turned her eyes back to the book in her lap, waiting for the other woman to say something before she continued.

"You know what happens to agents that betray their country, Ziva. We need to take him out." She tried to keep her voice as soft and caring as possible knowing how hard it was to betray someone she loved. And she should know seeing as she had done it herself.

"Something about this just isn't right. I know him, know him better then he thinks that I do and he never does anything this straight forward, never does anything that doesn't have an ulterior motive. I just don't know what this motive is. He made a 911 call on his cell this morning reporting that two sailors had been murdered off a Virginia road. The cell that he uses to contact me, the one he knows that I keep monitored. Why would he do that if he were trying to keep a low profile? I know that he had to have killed those men, I just don't know why."

Jen took all this in silently and left the bench to throw out her apple core before returning. "I think that I might know why he placed the call. Is he still obsessed with Special Agent Gibbs?" Jen asked not really sure if she wanted to know the answer to her question. Sure she may not have had contact with Gibbs in years but that didn't mean that she wanted him as part of some crazy spy's plot.

"I don't know if I would say obsessed. I believe that he is pissed off at him and wants to cause him pain. You think that this plan of his has something to do with Agent Gibbs?" Ziva had to admit, knowing her brother such a deduction made sense.

"After his 911 call I'm sure that NCIS was called in which means that Agent Gibbs and his team will probably be involved. That could be Ari's motive for calling in the murders. How sure are you that he has betrayed Mossad?"

"I'm positive. I wouldn't have come to you if I weren't Jen. You know that. Why would he want NCIS investigating his actions? He knows that they will figure out whatever he is planning. I profiled that team I know how they operate. I believe the saying is that they always get their man." The younger woman said before turning to look at her companion, all pretense of not knowing each other gone.

"I know Ziva, I know Gibbs too remember." Something was definitely up; no self-respecting spy would want himself to be under investigation. Unless investigation got them what they wanted, Jen mused silently. If Ari wanted to cause Gibbs pain then the best way to do that was to hurt his team. He always had thought of his team as a family even if he didn't want to admit it. "He sabotaged the crime scene. He knew that NCIS would investigate and that by hurting one of Gibbs' team he would hurt him. Come on we need to tell the director."

--

It had been a while since she had been inside NCIS headquarters, but she knew that she would soon be spending a lot of time here. Her new orders had come through this morning, and she had yet to tell anyone. How exactly did you go about telling people that you were about to become the first female director of NCIS? The first woman to hold the position of director of any federal agency for that matter. This new situation with Ari was worrying and something that they needed to get back under control and quickly.

She exited the elevator with Ziva in tow speaking to Director Morrow's assistant before entering the office. She skipped the pleasantries and lunched right into the situation. "Has Agent Gibbs's team reported in Director?" She grimaced inwardly at the worry that seeped into her question.

"They are on their way in now. Apparently a bomb was wired into the car they were investigating." Seeing the inquiring looks he decided to clarify further. "No major injuries, though I believe that Agent DiNozzo might be rethinking coming back to work a week early."

The Director let this information sink in before leaning forward. "What do you know about this case Special Agent Shepard?"

"Nothing for certain, sir, but Officer David and I have a theory that you should know." She said before taking a seat allowing Ziva to explain.

The Director processed the information with no outward sign of emotion. Jenny was surprised with how calm he seemed with the whole situation. Only half listening to the explanation, she turned her mind back to the problem at hand. What would Ari do now that his initial plan didn't work? He would of course have a backup, which meant that they needed to at least come up with a plan to combat the menace. She was brought back to the situation when the Director asked her opinion on the matter.

"What do you believe are our options, Agent Shepard?"

"We need to regain control of the situation. Ari is very good, but he does have a predictability. We need to use that to our advantage."

"I agree Director." Ziva spoke up casting a glance at Jenny before continuing. "Agent Gibbs is also predictable. If we can predict what will happen and plan for it, we will be able to rectify the situation in the best interests of all involved."

"Officer David, are you suggesting that I ignore the evidence you have presented to me and just allow things to play themselves out? Allow a rouge Mossad operative to run a terrorist cell in my own backyard?"

"I agree that the situation is far from desirable Director, but I can see her point." Even if I don't like it, Jenny added silently. "If you would give us an hour we could have a more detailed plan."

The large man looked at the two women in front of him, seeing their determination and focus. "Do it. Just stay away from Gibbs and his team, use the conference room beside my office for your discussion." Watching them go he had a feeling that his last days as Director of NCIS were going to be interesting.

--

Today was not turning out to be her best day ever. Tony was back but he still looked awful, and she couldn't help but feel bad for him no matter how much he annoyed her. Then there was the snake at the crime scene. Snakes just scared the living daylights out of her and they always had. Oh and then who could forget about the exploding car. Yeah it really wasn't that great of a day, and as she looked at the remains of the charred bodies in autopsy, it seemed like the case had just gotten harder.

The autopsy phone rang and as Ducky went to answer it, she turned away from the bodies to get back to work, and had almost made it to the doors when the kindly medical examiner's call stopped her. "I will go upstairs with you Caitlin, it seems that the director would like to speak to us."

"About what, Duck?"

"Oh he didn't say, but I am sure that it is nothing to worry about Caitlin dear." He said just as the elevator doors slid closed.

Upon entering the Director's outer office they were told to go right in, which should have been her first clue that something out of the ordinary was up. Directors of federal agencies normally didn't have excess time open for medical examiners and junior agents. The first thing that she noticed was that Morrow seemed to be having some sort of meeting with two women, both of whom she didn't know.

"What we are about to discuss can not leave this room, do you understand?" The head of NCIS said getting up from behind his desk. At the answering nods of his employee's he continued. "Dr. Mallard, Special Agent Todd, I would like to introduce Officer Ziva David of the Mossad." The dark haired woman offered her hand, before returning to her seat.

"Dr. Mallard I believe you know Special Agent Jenny Shepard, who is about to become the new Director of NCIS."

"It's nice to see you again Ducky." She said as he took her hand and offered a "Congratulations Jennifer," back at her.

Kate didn't really know what to say when the woman turned to her, how did one greet their soon to be boss, she settled for "Kate," while firmly grasping her hand in her own. She was further confused when the older woman looked sadly at her.

The Director gestured for them to take a seat before returning behind his own desk. "Agent Shepard I turn this meeting over to you this is after all your idea."

After a moment of pacing and a long sigh she began to speak. "I would ask that you don't say anything until I have finished, I know it might be hard but please try your best." Inquiring eyes turned her way but no one spoke, which she took as her cue to continue. "Ziva is among other things a control officer for Ari Haswari, who also happens to be her half brother." This news was greeted with looks that imparted equal parts of hatred, disgust and shock.

"Please allow me to continue. Agent David and I have worked together for many years on a counter terrorism committee, which is why she came to me with the news that her brother is running an Al Qaeda cell operating out of DC, and is no longer in her control. Both of us believe that carrying out a terrorist attack is one of his missions though we don't believe that it is the one with which he is principally concerned. We are fairly positive that he is out to kill Special Agent Gibbs but that he is going to cause him as much pain and suffering before he does."

"What does this have to do with, me and Ducky?" Kate asked when the other woman paused for more then a moment. Outside her face may have portrayed her as calm and collected, but her insides were churning with worry. She remembered very well what had happened last year when Gibbs had become obsessed with Ari.

"Ari is a chauvinist." Spoke up the Mossad agent who had yet to say anything for the entire meeting.

"So to some extent is Gibbs." Added Jenny, who once again regained her seat seeming calmer now, but was still tense, knowing that the worst part of the meeting was about to come. She could almost see the wheels turning in the medical examiner's head, as he looked first to Kate then questionably back to her. Who gave a barely perceptible nod in his direction silently conveying that she wanted him to take the lead for a moment.

"Caitlin, I hate to even voice this, but the best way to cause Gibbs pain is to hurt the members of his team, and because of his chauvinistic undertones hurting women would cause him unbearable pain, especially you, my dear." He laid out his hypothesis in a solemn tone while laying a gentle arm on the younger agent's shoulder.

"Why me?" Kate again asked, a touch of anger seeping into her voice. Ari was back in the country planning a terrorist attack, and instead of working to stop it these women and the Director had called her here to tell her that she would cause Gibbs the most pain?

"He cares about you a great deal, just as you do for him." Ziva's tone was just as gentle and patronizing as the doctor's had been and it was this almost as much as her answer that caused Kate to rise from her seat.

"How would you know?" This time Kate didn't even bother to try and mask her anger. How dare some outsider come here and speak about Gibbs's feelings towards her let alone the not quite appropriate feelings that she felt towards her boss.

"I was the one who profiled your team for Ari last year. I think that I should know don't you?" Ziva joined Kate's standing position pushing herself into the other woman's personal space as she spoke.

"Agent Todd, you will take your seat." The Director's deep voice stopped Kate from moving forward but it didn't stop her from speaking.

"Well if you had kept a better handle on him, then we wouldn't even be in this situation." She said before sitting down. Watching as her opponent did the same before speaking in a subdued voice.

"Having betrayed my own brother I am perfectly aware of the situation, thank you very much." To this Kate didn't have anything to say she only sat quietly as Ducky again placed a hand on her shoulder squeezing gently, trying to calm her down.

"Please continue Special Agent Shepard." The Director's voice seemed to almost echo in the now silent room.

"I know that it is a bit of a stretch but, Ziva and I both believe that Ari is going to try to kill you. Ari knows Gibbs and your team from the previous encounters that he has had with you, and is most likely counting on him discovering his terrorist plot, which is why he called in the murder of the two sailors this morning. With the bomb he was probably hoping to hurt or murder any member of your team." When she paused for breath Kate again jumped in.

"So why are you telling me all this and not Gibbs? Once he knows all this then he will just find Ari and kill him, problem solved. You have already said that we will stop the plot." Kate knew that she probably shouldn't be taking this tone with the woman who was going to be her boss but at the moment she really didn't care. After asking the question she turned her gaze to her hands, now clenched in her lap, not trusting herself to look up.

"I know Jethro, and I know how he would take the news, and that is exactly what we want to avoid." At the woman's use of Gibbs's first name Kate's head shot up, turning to look at Ducky. Some of her anger subsiding to be replaced with wonder at how this woman, this redheaded woman, had known her boss. Ducky sent her a look that told her to drop it.

"We are hoping to use the predictability both men in order to control the situation. As previously stated hurting you would cause Special Agent Gibbs the most pain." Reverting back to his full title after seeing the look that Kate had sent Ducky. "We believe that besides the terrorist attack, Ari's next move will be to try and kill you, Special Agent Todd."

"So you called me in here to warn me?" Kate asked standing, despite Ducky's attempts to keep her in her chair, moving towards the door before continuing in her haughty tone. "Thanks. If that is all, I have work to do. Come on Ducky, let's go." The medical examiner made no attempt to stand, but Kate proceeded to the door anyway. Her hand was on the silver knob when Ziva's voice stopped her.

"We didn't call you here to warn you Agent Todd. We called you here to kill you."


	3. Chapter Two

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading this story, and thank you especially to the people who have reviewed. Also this is a little AU most of the things that happen in the episode Twilight will still happen here but some like McGee and Kate's conversation about Tony just won't fit. I hope that this isn't too weird.

Chapter Two

"What!" Kate turned back to the people in the room. Seeing that the Mossad agent's explanation had caused Ducky to stand and look horrified.

"Surely Jennifer you cannot be serious." His tone was one that Kate had only heard once before when he was reprimanding a police officer for contaminating a crime scene.

"Well not literally kill her Ducky, but fake her death, which is why you are part of this meeting." Jenny said looking pleadingly at the doctor until he took a seat. Before turning back to Kate who still stood beside the door. "Let Ziva explain Agent Todd, please."

"I think that she had better."

"I know my brother, if he can he will try and kill Agent Todd in front of Gibbs and as many other team members as possible, which means that he will most likely try when you go and stop the attack."

"You two seem to be placing a lot of faith on us stopping this attack." Kate mumbled to herself, but didn't interrupt the Mossad agent.

"So I secretly go to your location where we pretend to kill you. Then you are free to work with us to stop Ari."

At the mentioning of their full plan Kate could feel the blood draining from her face. She half ran half stumbled back to her seat. How could this be happening? First Ari was back in country, then the news that he was after Gibbs. Well that wasn't all that surprising, considering the mutual hostilities and exchanged bullets of the last year. But then this woman decided that she could just waltz into NCIS headquarters and suggest this plan like they were discussing nothing more important then the weather. This day was just getting worse and worse. Not only was this whole thing crazy there seemed to be a massive logical error.

"Why don't you just kill Ari yourself? You have already determined at least partially where he will be, why go through all the trouble of some elaborate ruse when a simple bullet would solve everyone's problem." If looks could kill there would surly be one less Israeli operative in the world.

Beside her Ducky seemed to have calmed down enough, or at least was better at controlling his emotions. For his voice was strangely flat. "Caitlin does have a very valid point. Why don't we just eliminate the bastard for good?" Though his question was directed towards the Director it was Jenny who answered.

"Ducky we did of course consider this possibility but for the time being at least, Ari Haswari is our only link to this Al Qeada cell, they could have more then one attack planned. Eliminating Ari does not solve this problem and we loose any predictability that we might have over the situation. This is why no one on the team besides you and Agent Todd can know. We can't have anyone act in a way that we wouldn't expect." The last part was said sadly like she didn't the future Director couldn't believe that she was planning out how people would react to death.

"Agent Todd I am afraid that this discussion has already taken too long, your presence will surly been missed from your team." The Director said leaving no room for debate as he stood, his new position casting a formidable shadow over the others still seated before his desk. "I need to know if you will do this. Further plans must be made, and I need you at your post to ensure that we do in fact fall into this trap that Ari is setting."

Again a frenzy of thoughts ran through her head. It would be so easy to say that no she could not do what he asked; that is was against her morals, her beliefs to fake her own death. But she was a federal agent, it was her duty to protect her country, it was what she had been trained to do and if this was how she would carry out her duty then it was the way that it had to be.

"I'll do it." This time she rose from her chair slowly, nodding to the Director who had told her to return to work but to say nothing about what had been discussed. Acknowledging Ducky asking her to come and see him later with a hand on his shoulder. She walked slowly out of the Director's office, her steps lacking their usual confidence, until she was standing near the rail that overlooked the bullpen. Tony was following Gibbs' orders and was currently lying behind his desk. McGee being typical McGee was busy at work. Gibbs was nowhere to be found, though while they were working a case this was not all that unusual.

It was then that everything seemed to hit her a second time. She was for all intents and purposes going to die. Her mother, father, and brothers were going to think that she really was dead. That their baby girl, the one with so much potential had had everything taken away because she would always do her duty first.

And what of her coworkers at NCIS who on most days seemed almost more like family then her real family back in Indiana did. How would they handle her death? She couldn't imagine loosing someone who she worked with so closely, but to then have to investigate that person's death would just rub salt into an open wound.

Though such a grief was not the normal one-way street that a death typically brought. She would have to deal with her own loss. There would be no more Tony to bicker with. No more McGee to tease, or Abby to hang out with. And Gibbs there would be no more Gibbs, just as her loss would cause him the most pain, his loss would be the hardest for her to bear. She could feel tears forming at the corner of her eyes just thinking about what taking this assignment was going to take from her.

Furiously she wiped at her face, the Director was right she had work to do. Taking a deep breath she walked down the stairs hoping that her acting skills were better then she had always thought they were.

"Where have you been?" Tony called softly from his horizontal position before she had even made it to her desk. Rule number seven flashed through her head before she answered.

"There were some problems with my tax returns. Apparently my transition from the Secret Service to NCIS didn't go as smoothly as I had initially thought." She said pulling her computer out of hibernation as she sat. Tony seemed to buy this, and McGee didn't even look up from his work. So far so good, tears weren't streaming down her face, and her neck and ears didn't seem to feel any warmer then normal, meaning that she probably wasn't blushing. If she didn't secretly know that Ari was back in country and sometime soon she was going to fake her own death there would have been perfect order in the world. It was too bad that things never ever turned out perfect.

--

She hated to admit it but she was secretly proud of the team. Less then an hour after she had been in the Director's office they had already figured out, on their own that someone was trying to kill them. Things appeared to be moving along just like they normally did, which is why she was currently sitting and eating Chinese with McGee, and worrying because Tony wasn't joining them. Of course she kept such worry to herself, much like she kept the information that she held to herself.

When Gibbs left her worry intensified. Making it harder to keep it under wraps, which is why she was strangely grateful to Fornell who had told them that Ari was back in town and was trying to kill Gibbs. Now she didn't have to try and hide her concern. When he didn't come back after twenty minutes, her worry intensified. So when Fornell went into MTAC she followed. When the Director had informed her that she was going to be in charge of Gibbs's protection detail she was relieved at least she would be able to ensure that he survived long enough to take out Ari and his terrorist cell.

When Gibbs had refused her protection, and had told them that he would stay at headquarters she couldn't help but smile for such an action was such a Gibbs thing to do. Telling them to go away, to go and get some sleep, was such a Gibbs thing to do. Even when he had to know that they weren't really going to go anywhere. It was things like this that had drawn her to him, right from the very beginning, from their initial head-butting meeting on Air Force One. Taking one last look at her boss who was busily working at his desk, she pushed her keyboard back into place and headed to the elevator.

--

Autopsy was almost fully dark when Kate stepped off the elevator. She could see Ducky working on some sort of device at his desk. Pale light streamed from his desk lamp making his movements into sinister shadows. Kate walked into the room happy that she could stick to the shadows, almost as if keeping out of the light would allow her to hide this mission more completely.

Coming to stand beside the medical examiner she was surprised by how the harsh lighting showed the lines and wrinkles on his face. She knew that he wasn't young, and even speculated that he was in fact 64 years old. But the present situation seemed to have aged him more; he was no longer a jovial man who loved to impart his stories on to his co-workers. No, that man was gone, in his place was the man who was going to willingly destroy a man who was the closest thing that he had to a best friend. Destroy the two men who he most times thought of as his sons, and the woman who though she may be a little odd was the closest thing that he had to a daughter.

He looked up at her, trying to gage her state of mind. She stuck to the shadows. His voice when he spoke was somber. "They tell me that his principle way of execution is a kill shot through the forehead." He pointed to the sack between his hands before continuing. "This contains a small explosive charge, which is wired into a radio device that you will be able to activate, when you need to."

Rising from his chair he gestured for her to take his place, before he pulled a pair of scissors from his desk. He moved her hair aside gently, preparing to clear a small patch at the back of her head. He paused looking down at her questioningly. "Caitlin are you certain that you want to go through with this?"

When she answered her voice told of a confidence that she didn't feel. "Yes, let's get this over with Ducky." At her assurance the doctor resumed his work.

The scraping sound of scissors filled the room, and she closed her eyes feeling rather then seeing the hair that fell brushing against her arm. Ducky's hand squeezed her shoulder, trying to impart strength, a gesture that she welcomed. Opening her eyes she saw that he had picked up a small metal plate.

"I am attaching this to your skin so that it will shield you from the charge. Then I will attach the sack to the plate. Once the explosive is required to detonate the sack will look remarkably like an exit wound, complete with blood and gore. No one who isn't a doctor or medical professional will be able to tell the difference."

She let him continue his explanation of the exact process, but let her mind wander. She was sure that he knew he had tuned him out but didn't seem to mind. Keeping her head still she allowed her hand to wander to the cross that hung round her neck. Silently she traced its smooth contours, feeling the silver that was so much a part of her. Sure there was plenty of things about her Catholic faith that she didn't quite follow the way she should. Like the no sex before marriage thing, or the fact that she had been on the pill for years now, though even with all that or maybe because of that she was still extremely faithful.

Ducky's hands had stilled on her head, his hands slowly and carefully moving the hair that he had displaced over the device he had attached. "Ensure that you don't lay on your back while you sleep, Caitlin." His words like the hands that placed the radio transmitter into my free hand were soft.

I stood nodding once as I rejoined the shadows, one hand still fingering my necklace. I was almost to the door when the thought came to me, and I turned back towards the medical examiner. "Ducky?" I asked hardly recognizing the voice that spoke as my own. His eyes locked with mine as I went on. "Once I'm gone, could you give my cross to Gibbs?"

"Of course my dear." He said with a small smile, a smile that definitely didn't reach his eyes. "Now you had best get going, you still have a terrorist plot to stop." With that he turned back to his desk and I continued my journey towards the elevator, the autopsy doors closing slowly behind me.


	4. Chapter Three

Author's Note: Thank you again to the people who have reviewed! I am sorry that this chapter is shorter then the others it just seemed like a good place to end it. I hope that this chapter makes sense.

Chapter Three

Last year when she told Tony that she had never had a nightmare, she hadn't been lying. Now that had all changed, cause she had certainly knew the terror of her own personal bête noire.

She had been sleeping peacefully mindful of Ducky's instructions not to lay on her back, when she woke up. She could feel the aches throughout her body that came from sleeping on the floor. Could feel the fact that she had terrible bed head. She could feel the light that seemed to blind her eyes. But most of all, she could feel that something was out of place, but for the life of her couldn't figure out what.

Things in the bullpen seemed strangely quiet, looking across she saw one possible explanation, Tony was still conked out. McGee was following his lead and was snoring softly. It was then that she turned to see Gibbs. Gibbs staring at the ceiling with lifeless eyes, blood covering his shirt from where it had seeped from the gash on his neck. Her mind was screaming at her. Screaming that he was dead. He was dead, dead right here in NCIS headquarters, not three feet from where she now stood.

No, no it couldn't be possible. She would have known, she would have woken up; surely she would have woken up. Tony would have woken up; McGee would have woken up. There was no way that Gibbs would not at least struggle against his attacker. It was then that she felt the hand on my shoulder. It was Ari; Ari was here. Here and speaking. What the hell was going on? "Did you miss me?"

She had never been so happy to wake up and deal with Tony's teasing. The normalcy of it all was comforting. Defending herself and her dream ramblings was comforting. Gibbs waking over to the filing cabinet where he kept his clean shirts was the most comforting thing of all. He was walking, walking and talking. She pinched herself softly on the wrist and held back the yelp that confirmed that she was in fact awake.

Instantly she stepped back into her role as protector, handing him a Kevlar vest. She hid the joy she felt as he took it, masking her feelings behind sarcasm like she always did. Though as they headed out to the avionics company she couldn't get the vision of him sitting there, blank-eyed and bloody out of her head. It was as constant as the weight of the radio detonator in her pocket and the feel of metal against her skull.

--

Sitting in the dark movie theatre seats of MTAC she flipped her PDA open. Imputing an e-mail address, and beginning to write the instant that Gibbs opened up a line to Ari's cell phone. Thankfully Tony was paying more attention to Gibbs and his conversation then he was to what she was writing. With her information about the location Ziva would be able to be in place.

Sitting in the car on the way to Norfolk she received her reply. _I am in place. Frequency tact 2, codeword DROP._ The only thing left was for her to stop the missile, keep the rest of the team alive, and die.

--

Ziva David lay flat on her stomach on a hot-shingled roof; she surveyed the scene around her. Heard the terrorists as they readied their weapon, but she made no move to stop them. The rifle in her hands was not her usual weapon, not just because she didn't normally use a rifle but because this weapon was loaded with a small sponge like ball. It was soaked in the fake blood that could be found at any costume shop. Once fired it would hopefully hit Special Agent Caitlin Todd square in the forehead, before the bullet from her brother's gun did the same.

She knew that there was a lot ridding on her assumptions. More then just the lives of a team of NCIS agents. There were hundreds of people maybe even thousands, standing on the piers of Norfolk Navy base. It wasn't as if the lives of hundreds of people had never been in her hands before. But before she had done everything possible to ensure that an attack didn't take place. This time was the first that she had stood idly by and listened to the preparations, and it was tearing into her resolve.

Carefully she raised her binoculars to her eyes with one hand, the other went to her waist to ensure that her real weapon was within easy reach. Reassured she returned her right hand to its' place on her rifle.

She both saw and heard the arrival of the NCIS agents. She couldn't help but smile when Gibbs shot out the light with the shotgun. This man was nothing if not to the point, more and more she could see that Jenny's admiration was in fact well placed. Resuming her scan of the area was when she saw him, Ari, running across a near by rooftop. Dropping her binoculars to her side she continued her surveillance through her scope. Hatred welling up in her chest. How could this man who she had know so long turn is back on his country, turn his back on her?

She watched as he set up his rifle, allowing one eye to keep watch over what was going on at the much closer terrorist warehouse. Softly she sent a click into the microphone of her headset, letting Kate know that Ari was in place. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw Ari squeeze the trigger. She knew that the three agents now running across the rooftop could not have been in his scope. Tracking the shot she found that he had been aiming for the young techy who was working beside the blue sedan. Panic set in. Could she have been wrong about who he would target?

Seeing the round pierce the control device, she couldn't help but curse softly. The situation was rapidly spiraling out of control. Because of her assumptions thousands of people could now die.

One eye remained attached to the scope while the other helplessly watched as Special Agent Caitlin Todd threw herself in front of a bullet meant for her boss. Seeing the agent down and her brother's preparations she sent two clicks over her headset. Hoping against hope that the plan could still be salvaged. She could hear the agents chatter, breathing deep she tried to calm her raging heart. There was a lot ridding on her ability to make this shot, a shot that she couldn't make in this frenzied state.

Her scope left Ari and she turned her rifle so that the brunette woman's forehead was now securely in her cross hairs. She could almost feel her brother's hatred, could almost feel him set himself up to pull the trigger, it was then that she clearly said; "Drop."

--

"_Drop."_

Ever since the two clicks had sounded in her ear she had been waiting for that word. The word that caused her to stop everything and throw herself backwards, pressing the button that caused the back of her head to seem to explode, sending warm blood everywhere. She was startled by the fact that she could practically feel the bullet that rushed past her head, milliseconds after she felt the impact of the sponge on her forehead.

Forcing her eyes to remain open she quickly bent her left hand in, towards her body, injecting the drug that Ducky had provided her. She forced her lungs to not take in oxygen, as she felt the stickiness of the red pool around her head. Slowly she could feel emptiness fill her as paralysis set in, and her heartbeat slowed. Looking up through now watery eyes at Tony's bloodstained face she realized that Abby's dream was more then a dream, it was a vision.

--

Ziva quickly gathered her gear, forcing her movements to be quick and low. She didn't want to be spotted by the agents now hurriedly scanning their surroundings. There was plenty left to do including preparing Mia Rief, once one Kate Todd, for her new job as a Mossad profiler.


	5. Chapter Four

Author's Note: Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. I hope that you like this part, the longest yet. Remember that things have to get worse before they can get better.

Chapter Four

This couldn't be happening. There had to have been some mistake. She couldn't be dead, staring up at him with lifeless eyes. Staring into nothingness. His scan of the surrounding rooftops had yielded no sign of Ari, though he didn't expect that it would. If that bastard had any sense at all he would be long gone. Cause once he found him, once they met again he would put a bullet through that traitors skull, just like he had done to Kate.

_Kate_. His eyes returned to her lifeless form. Tony was mumbling something about not being able to find a pulse; he could hear McGee talking over their headsets but couldn't make any sense of what the younger man was saying. He knew that Tony's search was futile, but for a moment he let him continue. For a moment he did nothing. Could do nothing.

Slowly as if coming out from a dense fog, he became aware that McGee's voice was pleading for guidance. He saw that Tony was looking at him for the same thing. It was time to become the heartless bastard that he was famous for. Though as soon as he spoke with a weak and cracking voice he knew that the heartless bastard was nowhere to be found. "Secure the scene. Tony stay up here you know the drill. McGee perimeter search."

Tony looked up at his words and Gibbs watched as light slowly drained from his eyes. As if the words of his Boss had brought the situation crashing in. The younger man nodded slowly, his look turning from one of hurt and resignation to one of concern.

"You ok, Boss?" He asked, and Gibbs was surprised to find that his voice was in fact slightly stronger then his own.

He couldn't even verbally answer the question, nodding, a slight head movement, seemed to be the only response he was capable of making. He tried with some success to regain control of the situation. Now was not the time to think of his own mental state, now was not the time to sink to his knees and allow his emotions to rule his actions. Pulling out his cell phone he started for the stairs. "I'm going to call Ducky."

Walking down the stairs he listened to the soft rings that came over the phone line. One ring, then another, and another, where was the doctor? He was about to hang up and try the elderly man on his cell when a strong _"Hello,"_ came over the line. Even with the cell phone held to his ear he couldn't seem to make his voice work.

"_Jethro, is that you?" _

He didn't answer the question, didn't want to waste the little bit of energy that he had some how built up in order to explain the situation. "She's dead, Duck."

"_Who, Jethro? Not Caitlin?"_ The medical examiners voice had taken on an almost surreal quality, and was filled with worry.

Again he didn't answer the question, answering would cement the situation and he wasn't sure that he could deal with that right now. "I need you to come down and get the body." He rambled off the address, and shut the cell with a snap. Pushing open the rusty door to the outside world, he let weary feet carry him towards the blue bullet ridden sedan. Either not noticing or not caring that it was now a part of a crime scene. Driving off into the growing twilight he realized that this was probably the first time in over a decade that he actually driven under the speed limit.

--

Ducky had been sitting in his office when he had received the fateful phone call. The phone call that he secretly hoped would never come, would not be necessary as they had surely found another way. It didn't matter how good their plan was, or that everything seemed to be in place. There was always that small margin of error. That almost always, negligible doubt that couldn't be completely erased, no matter how hard you tried. Was it doubt that his plan had succeeded that had almost stopped him from answering the phone that lay not two inches from his hand?

Or was it instead the fact that he didn't want to deal with the pain he was sure to hear on the other end? Didn't want to have to deal with the inevitable. God when _"She's dead, Duck"_ had come over the line his heart broke. The worry in his voice when he replied, was not acting. It was just that at the moment he wasn't worrying about Caitlin. He was worried about how the team was going to handle her death. He knew that many thought that he was the one who wore his heart on his sleeve. That most times he was the one who had all the emotions, but that wasn't the case. He was just not as good at hiding what they were all feeling.

Never in all the years that he had worked with Leroy Jethro Gibbs, had he heard him sound like this. Sound like a broken man. Not through three failed marriages, not through the deaths of people he worked with, not through the aftermath of countless attacks. God what had they done? It was then that he realized, it was a realization that came as something of a shock. But it was a realization nonetheless. Gibbs the self-proclaimed bastard had been in love with her.

Reaching for his coat with one hand and the phone with the other, he quickly dialed the contact number that Jennifer had given him. Did she know? Was this all some part of the predictability plan.

"_Hello."_ Her voice had that sure quality that she seemed to always posses. A quality that at the moment only maddened him more.

"Tell me you didn't know." It was more a statement then a question.

"_Know what, Ducky?"_ She betrayed no outside emotions over the phone but inside her heart had plummeted. She knew what the medical examiner must have realized, knew that there was only one thing that could make him sound like he did. It was something she hoped wasn't true, even though the signs were certainly there. Having herself been the recipient of them at one time.

"Tell me you didn't know that he was in love with her." The silence on the other end was answer enough. It wasn't the silence of one who was shocked it was the silence of one who didn't want to voice what would only aggravate the situation. "How could you? God it was bad enough when I thought it was only her feelings that had to be contended with."

He could here her trying to speak but was in no position to let her. His words when he continued were venomous, dripping with anger. "I won't forget this Jennifer, I won't forget that it was you who talked me into destroying him. You better hope to hell that this plan of yours works, cause he sure isn't acting very predictable, unless you _predicted_ that he was going to act like a grieving lover."

Slamming down the phone he forcefully grabbed his hat and turned out the lights. There was work to do. Somehow the situation was turning out even worse then he imagined, something that until a few minutes ago he didn't think was even possible.

--

He wasn't quite sure how he had ended up here, sitting at his desk staring at hers. Sure there are vague remembrances of logging the car with the evidence people in the garage, of driving here. But that by no means explains how he ended up here. Maybe his body truly is on autopilot, that might explain the emptiness, the loss. The paralysis that comes with mind numbing grief.

He hasn't felt this way in a long, long time. That isn't to say that he didn't feel sad over the deaths of people around him. Didn't feel sorry and depressed over the death of Chris Pacci. But those feelings, much like the feelings of frustration that he felt over so many cases were easy to fix. Once justice was had all it took was a couple of hours. A couple hours, a night working on his boat in the basement would be enough to rid himself of, compared to what he felt now, only minor agonies.

His brain was struggling to function, trying oh so hard to bury the feelings that had come to the surface with her death. Attempting to lock away the happy memories of Kate with those of Shannon and Kelly. Attempting but not succeeding. He knew that he felt something for the female agent. Knew that something was powerful ever since their first visit on Air Force One. Why was it only with her death that he realized how much he loved her?

Loved her more then Marie, or Heather, or Diane, the three ex-wives who he said that he loved. But looking back, at both how easily they had come into his life and how easily they had left it, he knew that what he had, hadn't been love. Or at least it wasn't love for the actual people; it was a love of companionship that he had lacked ever since he had lost his first wife. A love of coming home to a warm bed, to beautiful red hair splayed over a pillow. But he could live without the companionship, for sleeping under his boat on a hard wooden slab held the same comfort.

He could live without the weddings, three in eight years, and the divorces and the alimonies. Companionship could be found without the ring. Without the paper, which proved the joining of two people, wasn't Jenny Shepard proof of that? Wasn't she proof that he didn't always hold his precious rules in a high regard?

No it wasn't his rules that had stopped him from getting involved with Kate. It wasn't the fact that she would surely be packed off to work with another team. No, looking back now, sensing the depth of his own feelings, he knew that what held him back was fear. Fear that she would somehow end up like Shannon and Kelly. Fear of having to go and visit her grave, of explaining to her family that he was the one responsible for her death; that he would end up going through the pain that he was going through now.

But it didn't matter, didn't matter one little bit. He still felt the pain, the seemingly unbearable pain. All the pain, but none of the pleasure that came with having a real relationship. Was it this pain that brought out the vision of her standing beside her empty desk, bullet hole piercing her forehead?

"_Why me Gibbs? Wasn't stopping one bullet enough for you? Why did I have to take two?"_

"I ... I don't know." God Katie, how could I know? Please don't blame me, please, I beg you. I can't deal with the guilt. He really had lost it; he had gone completely off the deep end. His mind was begging a hallucination, a product of his mind, to not blame him for her death. The fact that one part of his brain had apparently caught on seemed to only anger her more.

"You don't know Gibbs? What's that famous gut tell you? Why did I die instead of you?" God he couldn't deal with this, not now, not ever.

He had never been so relieved to see Tony and McGee enter the bullpen. Speaking to them, he knew he wasn't himself, but couldn't seem to be able to find the old Gibbs in the torrent of emotions that he was feeling. He needed coffee. Needed the caffeine to allow him to function to allow him some semblance of normalcy. Again he walked outside into the darkness, he had gone at least twenty feet before he even felt the heavy downpour on his skin.

--

She had to be honest and say that she really didn't have any idea what it was going to be like to wake up from the dead. Well even if she hadn't exactly been dead she had been pretty close. So when she opened her eyes and saw the harsh light above her, her first thought had been, that maybe she really was dead and that this is what purgatory must look like.

Sitting up she came to find that she was in fact lying on an autopsy table, and had the tremendous urge to vomit. It was only after she retched into the nearby scale pan that she noticed that she was in fact naked but for the sheet that now lay pooled over her waist. Also Ducky was nowhere in sight. Feeling better she lay back down, pulling the sheet back up over her body and doing her best impression of a dead person. It wouldn't do for someone other then Ducky to walk in on a living, breathing, and very much awake Caitlin Todd.

Even under the sheet she couldn't help but feel the cold metal of the table against her skin. That coupled with the wicked pain in her chest from stopping a bullet, provided for a most of uncomfortable and hopefully short-lived autopsy experience. She heard the autopsy doors open and tried not to breathe, forcing the muscles in her face to relax.

"It's alright Caitlin." His words were soft caring, the way that a father would speak to his daughter.

"Does anyone suspect?" She couldn't help but ask; after all she still had a mission, ever if it had changed gears suddenly. Moving to sit up, but his arm kept her down.

"No, no one does. I think that everything went exactly as planned." Noticing the sickness that now filled his scale he rinsed it, and offered her water to cleanse her mouth.

"It's just a side effect of the medication." As he spoke he bustled around looking like he really was making all the preparations that one would make for an autopsy.

"I need to keep up appearances." He explained keeping the soft tone, a tone she now recognized as the tone he used to talk to bodies. "Though after about two hours I should be able to place you in the Mossad's capable hands. If anyone comes in I will pull the sheet up and if you breathe shallowly, we should be able to keep up the ruse."

His words were just in time; she didn't even have time to respond either verbally or otherwise before the sheet was pulled over her head. She could hear the muffled swish of the doors opening and closing; the sound slightly obscured by the sheet. She was only able to listen as Gibbs explained that Abby had been targeted. It took all of her will power and maybe a little more to keep herself from expressing her outrage.

Though Gibbs may have been talking to Ducky she could feel his gaze on her. Never leaving. As she listened to the conversation and heard the clank of a bottle against a glass, she wondered if he could tell that she was alive. Her mind fought against her body, a body that wanted to move, wanted to stop the foolishness of breathing only enough to pull essential oxygen into her lungs, but most of all wanted to speak, to tell the man she cared about that everything was going to be all right.

But her body remained still, her breath slow and silent, her lips fused together against any sound. In fact the only outward sign of her struggle was the tears that she could feel forming behind her closed eyes. Her battle intensified when she heard the conversation take a different turn. Heard footsteps moving closer to her, and the faint sound of metal against metal. It was then that she noticed that her cross had in fact been removed from around her neck, for its' reassuring weight was gone.

"Jethro?" Ducky asked quietly drawing in a deep breath. With his recent realization this action took on even more meaning.

"Hmm." He had again been lost in thought, lost in feelings that were coming back to the forefront as he stared at her sheet covered form.

"Caitlin would have wanted you to have this." The medical examiner said, offering the trinket, the symbol of her Catholic faith to the other man.

Wordlessly he took it, its' small silver form dwarfed by his large hand as he stared down. Sluggishly he worked open the clasp, his hands long unused to such an action. Only when the small but very noticeable weight was felt against his chest did he look up. Searching with deep blue, moisture filled eyes, to find the doctors own. "Thank you." Then he was gone, and doctor and patient were alone once more.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, the tracks long and ragged, made all the more visible by the white powder that Ducky had applied to her skin. Silently he moved to shut off the lights, gathering her now trembling form up in his arms. She didn't care that she was naked, didn't care that she was risking her cover. The only thing that mattered right now was the release that crying gave and the feel of weathered hands rubbing comforting circles over her back.

--

A silently grieving Jethro Gibbs boarded the elevator outside Autopsy. Flicking the emergency stop he allowed himself a moment to gather himself. Fingering her cross that was now around his neck, he reconstructed the armored box that held his emotions. Locking away, until a more appropriate time his feelings for Kate, his feelings for the other members of his team and what they were going through. Returning the cross to its' place under his shirt, against his skin, he restarted the elevator. It was a hardened and jaded Special Agent Gibbs that stepped off at the evidence garage, watching as McGee stared at the form of his young forensic scientist. They had work to do, and he had a bastard to kill.


	6. Chapter Five

Author's Note: Thanks again to the people who read this story, I don't think that I would bother to continue if I knew that no one was reading. Thanks especially to the reviewers. I hope that you like this chapter, and don't mind the cliché at the end. :)

Chapter Five

Her first thought as she sat in the push movie chair and listened to his conversation with Tom Morrow was that Ducky had been wrong. The man behind her wasn't acting like a grieving lover he was acting like a man out for revenge. That was a Gibbs she could deal with one she had predicted, a Gibbs she could stand up to, and a Gibbs who she didn't have to worry about betraying her secrets to. Like the fact that she was responsible for the pain he was feeling, that such feelings really weren't nessicary cause four floors below there was one very alive Caitlin Todd who would soon be moving to Mossad headquarters.

Though once Morrow turned the conversation over to her and she faced him, she knew that the medical examiner was right. It wasn't something that was written blatantly over his face, he was too good of an agent to show that, too good of a Marine. No he was good at hiding things, but when his blue eyes locked with her hazel ones she knew. She watched him carefully as he stepped into their familiar banter. Banter which she kept up cause she had no choice; this was exactly how she thought that their initial conversation would proceed so proceed it would.

She pulled out the high and mighty Jen, who had been in short supply ever since Ducky's dressing down, and fought for what was hers. She had earned her right to be his boss, and if that meant acting like a bitch in order to convince him that she was indeed his boss then she would act like a bitch. Only when he looked up at her, the stairs giving her the advantage, did she almost give in. Only when he said that he had missed her did she think that maybe there was a way to get back what they had once had. But his smile didn't reach his eyes, it didn't fit with his slightly raised eyebrow, and she knew that they would never have what they had in Paris again.

Deep down she admitted that she didn't deserve his love. Despite her red hair she didn't fit the profile of someone who he could love. Maybe in the past when she had been a replacement for one of his three ex-wives, when they had both been victims of circumstance, but she wouldn't live in the past. Redheads were no longer his thing, no, she was sure that he would now turn to dark haired brown eyed women, in an attempt to replace the one he'd lost. Lost without ever having had a chance, and it was all because of some crazy plan that she had come up with. No she definitely didn't deserve this man.

--

He drove along silently with his equally silent passenger beside him, so much for the plan to talk on the way to his house. He replayed their conversation earlier over and over in his head. He knew that he had been careful not to reveal that he was taking Kate's loss hard. God just thinking about the fact that she was gone practically brought tears to his eyes, but now was not the time to grieve, there would be plenty of time for that later, after he put Ari in the ground. Then he would allow himself some time, allow himself to remember and force himself to forget.

He hadn't been lying when he said that he had missed Jenny Shepard. No he didn't normally lie, withhold the truth, sure, stretch things a bit, most definitely, but he didn't lie. He had missed her, she was funny and caring and a damn good field agent. Someone who was able to take on any role, as long as it fulfilled her mission. She was also spectacular in bed, had that been what had prompted him to look at her like he had, with a false smile and a raised eyebrow?

Had some part of him just wanted sex? Wanted to push her up against the wall of his basement, close his eyes and just let pleasure wash over him. Imagining that it was Kate who he held between his arms. That it was Kate who was moaning softly as his lips caressed her neck before nipping gently at her collarbone. That it was Kate who was kissing him, sliding her tongue between his parted lips.

No he couldn't think like that, it was a road he didn't want to travel, couldn't travel. Paris was over; they were different people now, people who didn't love each other, still cared about each other sure, but didn't love. A fact that he was sure of as he glanced over at her, staring out the window and looking uncomfortable. "Do you think it was Ari?"

She seemed surprised at his question, as if she couldn't believe that words had disrupted the silence, and took her time before she answered. "I don't know what to believe. I won't say that it doesn't make sense that he would target you, but it doesn't make sense for him to target Agent Todd. From what I have read in reports of last year's incident, he seemed almost nice to her. So why would he kill her now? Have they had contact since last year?"

His answer when it came was hard, ground out between clenched teeth. "No, I would have known." Anger was the one emotion that he would allow himself to feel, anger turned into determination, and determination would help him catch her killer. At the moment he didn't care that his anger was misdirected. "She would never do that to me. She knew full well what I thought of the bastard."

"Maybe that's why she kept such contact from you, she didn't want you to know cause she knew what you would do." Her voice was level and controlled as if she was completely ignoring the feelings of the man next to her, and maybe she was.

"You don't understand Jen. Kate wore her heart on her sleeve, has ever since I first met her." _But I didn't act on it_, he added silently to himself, but by the look on her face he wondered if he hadn't said them out loud. His anger returned, but it wasn't enough to mask the pain that filtered into his voice. "Drop it, Director." He pushed his foot down harder on the gas petal, his actions conveying just as much as his words. Silence returned, and stayed for the rest of the trip.

--

Ziva David didn't know what to expect when she openly walked into NCIS headquarters. Sure she had been here before, less then twelve hours ago really, but the people she was now going to act for didn't know that. They didn't know that the death of their co-worker would have been caused by her brother, had see not betrayed him, and if luck would have it they would never know.

She was rather impressed at her performance with the Italian gigolo. She was certain that he was none the wiser about her real purpose here, a purpose that she intended to complete only enough to not blow her cover. She had no real intention of stopping her brother and if anything she was going to help this team find him.

She continued to 'slouch provocatively' though she had been extremely careful not to sit or even go near Special Agent Todd's desk, or more accurately her former desk. She didn't need the trouble that such an action would bring, though she was not above doing it in order to get what she needed, that was just another thing that they didn't need to know.

The fact that Anthony DiNozzo actually had a real heart didn't surprise her. The fact that he had felt such a strong bond to a woman who he had worked with, which she might even say, he thought of as a sister wasn't surprising. The surprising fact was that he was willing to practically admit such feelings to her, someone who he had just met and didn't even trust. Sitting back farther in McGee's chair, the thought crossed her mind that maybe her profiling skills needed a brush up. Hopefully her skills were not off the mark when it came to her brother.

--

The concern that he felt for her down in his basement warmed her, though not as much as the fact that he had figured out Ari's chauvinistic tendencies. Now that he knew there would certainly be protection in place for Abby, something that she had been worrying about ever since the shot through the window this morning, not that she doubted that he would put such protection in place. And now he was trying to protect her, even if she didn't need or want such protection, she welcomed it, for it meant that he was once again fully focused on the case, and a focused Jethro Gibbs was a force to be reckoned with.

Walking into the bullpen, Jenny noticed that Ziva was busy practicing her profiling skills on Tony, no doubt he had surprised her in some way in order to get that reaction, she had to smile before turning to her. As she watched the two men talk from the corner of her eye she exchanged pleasantries with the young Mossad woman. When the encrypted cell rang she knew that it was Ari who was calling, which was her cue to get back to work in her office. She didn't want there to be any reason for Gibbs to suspect that she knew more then she was letting on.

As she walked up the steps she saw the look of pain in the dark haired woman's eyes reflected in the window. Yes, this ruse was taking its toll on everyone, too bad they were in too far to stop.

--

Abby had long been good at reading people. It was a talent that allowed her to stay out of trouble, wear whatever she wanted to work and normally got her whatever she wanted. It wasn't like she profiled them or anything like that it was just that she could often see more then people gave her credit for.

For her Gibbs was never a bastard, he was just like the father that she never had. He was funny, good at his job, and her protector. Who just happened to be sexy as hell, though that didn't fit with her father figure image, but such was life. No Gibbs was normally an open book for her, but today things weren't so easy.

Something was up, sure he was angry, but he had every right to be, he had just lost an agent. But there was something more then anger or determination that was in his gaze as he looked at her. Something that was hidden behind his normal investigation brilliance, and she wanted to find out what that was, wanted it bad enough that she was going to push for it, no matter the consequences.

"Todd was your agent, but Kate was my friend, so can you stop it with the John Wayne stare and tell me what your gut says." She saw it in his eyes the moment she spoke and regretted that she had pushed the subject.

There had been times over that last two years that she had often wondered if there was anything going on between Gibbs and Kate, but nothing had ever come of her watching besides a few looks and scattered touches. She had suspected that neither wanted to act because they both followed the rules too much, either that or they didn't realize that the feelings they were feeling were mutual or something equally as stupid.

She continued speaking, not wanting Gibbs to know that his face was telling her everything, the regret, the sorrow, the pain that he was feeling, the emotion that was etched into the lines of his face. He had dropped his guard with her and he didn't even know it. It was something that she had always treasured, the fact that he trusted her enough to be able to do something that he must see as a weakness. She would never do anything that would lessen that trust, weaken the odd bond that passed as their friendship.

"A Kate." His whispered words held such force that they seemed to echo around inside her skull. There was nothing that she wanted more then to throw her arms around him, to hold him tight and tell him that this wasn't his fault. Wasn't his fault that Ari was a bastard who was copying his Marine Corps sniper techniques. Wasn't his fault that his weakness was women like herself and Kate.

She watched as he walked out of her lab, watched the clear door slide shut, and knew that a hug wasn't what he needed right now. Right now he needed to kill the man who had caused them all such pain, and as she sure wasn't going to stop him. No if she had been allowed, she would have been out there beside him with a shotgun in her hands.

--

It had been half an hour since she had said goodbye to Ducky. Half an hour since she left NCIS headquarters through the receiving door in a body bag. Under normal circumstances, thirty minutes wasn't all that long, but being an alive person stuck in a body bag wasn't normal circumstances. She now could understand a little bit of the annoyance that Tony had felt about being the decoy coming off of Air Force One.

She could feel the van slow down before coming to a stop, the sound of the gearshift indicating that she had arrived at her destination. Ducky would of course tell everyone that he had sent her back to her family in Indiana, but in actual fact she was now at the Washington headquarters of the Mossad. All her family would receive would be a closed weighted casket and a flag.

As the rain beat down on the bag, she tried not feel bitter, for such feelings would not help her or her family. It was better for them to think that she died in the service of her country then for them to know that she was living a secret life. The rain stopped and she was placed on something soft, maybe a carpeted floor or a couch.

The zipper on the bag was pulled back and she saw that she was in fact on a couch. Looking up into the eyes of the man who had freed her she was thankful that after her autopsy she had been presented with clothes.

"Welcome Mia." The man said in Russian, and for a moment panic filled her wondering if she had somehow ended up in the wrong place. She reached for the weapon on her hip before she remembered that it wasn't there. "No you are in Mossad headquarters, do you know what I am saying?"

"Yes." She answered in the same language. She was no longer afraid, now she was just puzzled as to why she was sitting in Mossad headquarters, still in a body bag speaking Russian.

He switched to Italian asking again if she understood. "Yes." She was beginning to see that he was testing her, seeing if she could in fact speak the languages she claimed to speak. He moved on to Spanish, which she had no problem with, before turning to Hebrew. She was forced to admit that she didn't speak it.

He laughed a small chuckle, "We'll have to work on that." He said speaking in English for the first, time. "Apparently your profile is correct, in saying that you speak four languages. Do languages come easy to you?"

"Yes." Realizing that, that was the only word she had spoken since she got here she pressed on. "May I ask who you are?"

"I am afraid that I am not at liberty to say Mia." His voice was soft and caring, a complete contrast to all the CIA, and FBI types who had stonewalled her with their need to know crap. "I am a friend of Miss David who she trusts implicitly and for the time being I am going to be responsible for your transformation into a Mossad agent." He tossed her a file.

The words Mia Rief were in big black type at the top and she realized that she was reading her life. Born in Italy in 1975 to Russian Jews, she had begun to work with the Mossad shortly after her sixteenth birthday. Her parents had been killed in a suicide bombing of a local synagogue just days before she joined up. With her language ability she often worked undercover throughout Europe, profiling suspected terrorists, and other radicals who were seen as a threat to the Israeli government. She had been with the United States task force since 9/11.

She was amazed at how complete the profile was, but there were some noticeable gaps. The only physical characteristics that had been filled out were her height, and a very close estimate of her weight. Of course they were going to change her appearance.

"Have you not decided what I am going to look like yet?" She asked half in jest.

"No actually we haven't. That is up to Sarah." He pressed a button on the desk phone, and a brown haired woman entered the office. "Mia, this is Sarah, she will be completing your physical transformation. After which I will show you to your room, for your own protection you will be staying on the premises. Please memorize the file while she works." Getting out of the body bag, she nodded, holding the file under her arm and followed the other woman.

The first things to change were her eyes, she learned how to put in and take out green contact lenses. Annoying things that with the modifications provided by the intelligence community she would have to wear even during her sleep. Next extensions were attached, causing the bangs that framed her face to disappear and her hair to fall down past the middle of her back. Finally while she spent the time memorizing her new life her hair was dyed.

It was almost three in the morning when she was shown the modest room where she would sleep. "I will return in the morning Mia, we can then go over what your new job will consist of."

"Thank you." She said before closing the door behind her, sitting the file on the nightstand. Taking off her shoes she changed into the pajamas that had been left for her. They were nice and soft, much like the bed sheets, though she didn't think that either of those things or the late hour would help her sleep tonight.

Before turning off the bedside lamp she permitted herself one last look at her new appearance in the large mirror that sat above the dresser. Bright green eyes looked back at her, as her fingers moved up to wrap a strand of hair around her finger. She shut off the light, though the faint yellow glow from the streetlight outside her window still allowed her to see the colour of the wavy layered mass; it was red.


	7. Chapter Six

Author's Note: Thanks again to the people who have been reading and reviewing to this story. I guess I was feeling particularly productive cause I am posting two chapters in one night. Who know at the rate that I am going I may just end up posting the ending tonight too. :)

Chapter Six

This couldn't be happening again. First Kate, then Abby, and now Ducky. Ducky wasn't stupid, he wouldn't have disobeyed his order not to leave the building without a reason, but what was the reason? There certainly was nothing here, nothing but rain and an empty residential street.

Before he had been mad, but now he was far from mad, he was worried, worried sick. Ducky was the closest thing that he had to a best friend. The only one who he suspected had even an inkling about what he felt for Kate. The cross around his neck was proof of that. All this was why he was now standing here in the rain, looking for something that wasn't there, yelling over the phone to McGee and Abby.

The moment he spotted the beer can with the bullet hole her voice came back. _"It's going to happen again isn't it? Ducky's going to take a bullet for you." _No it wasn't going to happen again. It couldn't, he wouldn't allow it. He tried to tell his mind this, tried to tell it that the Kate standing behind him was an illusion. Why the hell wasn't it working? Why couldn't she just go away until he had figured out where Ducky was, so that he wouldn't have to worry about going to the funeral of another member of his team.

"He won't kill Ducky." He said it out loud attempting to put his doubts to rest. He would find Ducky, and when he did the doctor would be alive and well and waiting to tell him some crazy story just like always. Kate though seemed to have other ideas. No she wasn't Kate, his Katie was dead and it was his fault. This was just a hallucination, a product of his deranged mind.

"_Why not? Because you couldn't live with the guilt."_ Well it was true, he couldn't, and he shouldn't have to. God damn it, this is what happens when you let your feelings come to the surface. Feelings should be like lights, when you didn't want them on, they were simply off. None of this coming back to haunt you crap.

"_Maybe Ari knows that. Maybe that's his plan." _No. No, not even a sick bastard like Ari would do that to another human being. Wouldn't prescribe to such a cruel form of torture. This was the twenty-first century, things like that didn't happen anymore. _"Maybe the only way to save Ducky, Abby and McGee is to kill yourself?" _

It could be true, you couldn't cause pain to a dead person. It wasn't like he hadn't thought about it before, hadn't held the pistol in his lap and pointed it at his head. Hadn't felt the cold steel warm up from the heat of his body. Hadn't had the faces of his lost family flash before his eyes, begging him to join them in death. Was that what Kate was doing, asking him in some weird way to join her in the afterlife?

His breathing became gasping and he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. Guilt washed over him as easy as the rain that ran over his face, soaking his jacket, his shirt and undershirt. He couldn't think like that. Not again. The cross around his neck felt like a dead weight as it burned against his chest. Heaven wasn't for him. Heaven was for children and good men and women. Kate, Shannon, and Kelly, not him. Not for old grumpy bastards like him.

He wasn't going to die tonight, or if he was it wouldn't be at his own hand. Taking deep breaths he forced air into his lungs. Forced himself to focus on the rain that was falling, and running down the back of his neck as he half crouched. Pulling up his cell phone he dialed Ducky's speed dial number. He had to find those cell phones, and then he had to get back to headquarters and make sure that Abby and McGee were safe before he went out again.

--

She couldn't stop herself from smiling as she watched him cross the street and get into what had to be his boss's car. Tony DiNozzo apparently could be quite smart when he wanted to be. Sure she had known he was following her, but she had been sure that Gibbs would have put a tail on her, so she just let him follow. She had preformed the drop just like she had always done it, and had been both surprised and happy when he had figured it out.

She may have wanted Ari to be caught but there was no way that she was going to make it easy for the NCIS team. Though it seemed that she didn't need to worry about their abilities. She continued to watch from her position crouched in the dark in front of her window. It was too dark to see what was going on in the car, but she did see when he was kicked out, just in time for Gibbs to go chasing off after her colleague.

She watched for a few more minutes as he stood with his pizza box underneath the awning. He had to have flashed his badge at the doorman, or else he would have been kicked off the property long ago for loitering. She felt a little sorry for him, after all if she had really wanted to get out of the hotel she wouldn't have used the front door anyway, therefore his presence there was pretty pointless.

Leaving her position she went to the phone placing a call to Jenny before she went down stairs and purchased two espressos, she might as well make his job a little easier if he was planning on staying up all night. She might even open up to him a little, the secrets were pushing in on her, and it was time to let a few of the non important ones go.

--

For the time being his people were safe. Abby, McGee and Ducky were all back at NCIS headquarters. Tony was with Ziva and for the moment he could take care of himself. Plus he thought that is wasn't very likely that Air would try and contact Ziva, he had to know that she had become compromised, and was now at least half working with the NCIS team. The only person unaccounted for was one Director Jenny Shepard.

Sure she could take care of herself, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't feel better if he was covering her place. There had been times when he had thought about doing this with Kate, but he never had, he had been sure that if he had he would have ended up shot. He couldn't suppress the grin that formed on his face as he remembered their first meeting. He had no doubts that if he had pushed her buttons some more he probably would have ended up with at least a graze.

His cell interrupted his reminiscing and after hearing that McGee had Ari's address and license plate he knew that he could stand out here no longer. Which meant that she was going to come with him, if only because that was the only way that he could keep her safe. He suffered through their usual banter, and he had to admit amusement when she thought that he was asking her for sex.

He filled her in on the way to Ari's supposed house. He was certain that they wouldn't find him. It had all been too easy in a way, like it was just another case. That wasn't to say that their normal cases were easy they were normally anything but. Though nothing could compare to this and Gibbs's knew that he never wanted anything to compare. He may have seemed stable but he still remembered Kate in the park asking him to kill himself, remembered actually taking the time to think about weather or not he should do it.

When he saw the license plate he knew that trouble was just beginning and he readied his weapon, though he didn't suspect the shot that was aimed at Jen. She wasn't supposed to be here, no one knew she was but him. What would make someone aim for the passenger side of his car when no one was even supposed to be there.

He hit the gas now was not the time to think about the why now was time to act and kill before he himself was killed. The shots rang out from both Jen and himself, the muzzle flashes gave light in the darkness and their man fell. It was only when they rolled him over that they found out that it wasn't Ari. What the hell was going on?

--

Ziva marched into Director Shepard's office, but she did not barge in. There was still some protocol ingrained in her. When the Director called her in, she knew that they were both thinking the same thing. Where the hell was Ari? Followed in short order by 'what the hell was going on'? The predictability of the situation had been thrown out the window.

"Jen, we blew it. I have no idea where Ari is, and I don't want to contact him and risk him knowing about our sham." She was dejected, her ops always worked, always.

"Ziva, we didn't blow it. Look at what you have done, we know that the FBI will never trust Ari again, that alone is a big development. Plus you saved the life of an NCIS agent."

"Yeah I saved her so that she can live a secret life in the Mossad. It may have been a life that I choose but she didn't have that option. We forced her to do what we wanted. We convinced ourselves that we were in control of a situation when we weren't. Part of me believes that we never were in control. For all we know Ari knew that I would figure out that he had turned and would come to you for help. I may know him but he knows me as well."

"Calm down. Take a seat so that we can think about this." The Mossad agent stood tall under the other woman's glare for about three seconds, before taking a seat. It wasn't that she was surrendering it was just that she saw her point. "Let's look at what we know for certain."

"Ari is still out there, somewhere."

"Yes, and we can still use that to our advantage. I talked to Ducky and he is convinced that Ari is out to kill Jethro. So eventually he has to take a chance, take the shot. Knowing Gibbs's he won't make it easy for Ari to kill him."

"I agree that Ari is still after Gibbs, but what about the other sniper. It doesn't make sense that all the evidence would point to him. I know that the man I saw through my scope was my brother. I know. It doesn't make any sense."

For moments they sat in silence. Analyzing the evidence, trying to come up with a solution to the problem they faced. There was something that just wasn't adding up. There was no way for Ari to know that they had seen him make the shot that suposedly killed Kate. There was no reason for him to suspect that Ziva had been on the rooftop. They had kept the plan compartmentalized, followed 'need to know' procedure to the letter and then some.

There was no paper work on the whole event. Even Ziva's father at the Mossad didn't know. There could be no mole, no leak, so therefore it was safe to assume that Ari didn't know that they knew he had betrayed the Mossad. Ziva had every reason to be at NCIS headquarters and try to stop the killing of her brother. So what were they missing. It was Jenny who spoke first.

"What if we made Gibbs's a target. He would do it. It isn't something that I would want him to do but he would do it. Without backup as well." She looked across her desk to see the younger woman deep in thought. Finally she looked up.

"It could work. It's risky but it could work. We have the mace in the hole so to speak."

"It's an ace in the hole, Ziva." Was all that was said before the planning commenced. When Ziva left the room twenty minutes later she was ready to put on her act again, and so was Jenny. Gibbs's hadn't let them down yet, hopefully the trend would continue.

--

He didn't need this, didn't need his people to tell him things that he didn't want to hear with looks of sorrow on their faces. Didn't need them to tell him that it was looking like it hadn't been Ari who had killed Kate. That it looked like it hadn't been Ari who had shot at Abby. But that was just it, it _looked_ like it hadn't been Ari. But looks could always be deceiving and he was sure that they were being deceiving this time. It had been Ari who had done this to him, to his people and it was Ari who was going to pay.

It was raining, for days now all it seemed to do was rain. Cold rain, rain that chilled a body to the bone, taking everything right down to the warmth of the blood. It had been this realization that had caused him to move the poor dog that he had found under the bench. He had picked him up hugging him against his chest, before depositing him in the gazebo. No one should have to sit outside in the pouring rain, not even a dog.

But he did. He sat motionless, watching the raindrops fall. Some would hit leaves and then slide to the ground. Others would splash against mud sending up little mud projectiles. But it didn't matter how they got to the ground they still did, weather their path was straight or crooked, they all still ended up in the same place. Just like people, eventually people all ended up dead, and right now that is how he felt; dead.

There was a different sound, the sound of good shoes being squished into the wet grass. It caused him to look up, seeing Fornell he looked back down. He didn't want to talk to the man who called him a friend. That was the reason why he was sitting on a park bench in the middle of nowhere. Though as the umbrella was held over his head he knew that he was going to end up talking regardless of weather he wanted to talk or not.

At the start it was mindless chatter of rain, dogs and lies. It was the kind of talking that men of the three letter acronyms favored, weather they be FBI, CIA, or NSA. But there was always a point, he didn't know if it was the rain or the cold that kept him from catching on sooner. He was off to rent the _Peacemaker_ whatever the hell that was, he hoped that it would give him some of the answers he wanted.

--

She had no intention of letting it slip that she knew what kind of ammunition Gibbs had used in the Marine Corps she had been shocked with herself. She didn't want them to know that she had profiled the team, didn't want Tony to know that was how she knew practically his whole life story. She looked to Jen for help but only found amused eyes, so much for helping each other out.

When he had asked to speak to her alone she knew he had figured it out. Knew that she knew his biggest secret, something that she was certain even Jenny and Ducky didn't know. Her nervousness when he came toward her wasn't acting, and when she said she was sorry she really was. The surprise in her eyes as he asked for her help to set him up certainly wasn't acting. It had taken herself and the Director half an hour to come up with that plan yet he seemed to have come up with it in ten seconds. With a head nod she agreed. This plan was already half in place.

"I need you to contact Ari and tell him that I am going to go back to the rooftop were Kate died. Say I am going there to put out flowers or something. You say anything as long as it gets him there, so that I can kill him." With that he left, leaving her alone in the dismal lab.

She didn't call after him and tell him that he had just asked her to set up her brother. Didn't voice any doubts that she might have had with the plan she just pulled out her cell and made the calls. Her first went to Jen to fill her in on the plan. The second went to Ari himself telling him that she knew where Gibbs was going to be. Her third had been a spur of the moment call to Mia Rief asking her to keep watch over Gibbs's house on the off chance that Ari would try something there. Little did she know, it was the last call that was the one that saved Gibbs life.

--

He tired to hurry through the packed streets of DC, a dozen red roses from _Martha's Garden_ sitting on the passenger seat. There seemed to be endless streams of traffic, why was it that there always seemed to be traffic when he was on a mission. Today was certainly a mission, maybe one of the most important of his life. The sniper rifle that he kept in the basement was calling his name, and he had all intentions of answering the call.

Today was the day that Ari Haswari died, there was no way the psychopath would not show up on the rooftop today, he was presenting too good of a target. Had he been in Ari's shoes he certainly wouldn't have passed up the opportunity. And then he really would place the flowers on the spot where Kate had died. Then he would allow himself the time he needed to get on with his life.

Parking in the driveway he did a quick survey of the property, you could never be too careful when you didn't lock your door. Maybe it was time for him to break that habit. Seeing nothing amiss he continued up the steps and entered into the kitchen. He didn't pause to take off his shoes or coat, didn't have the time or the patience to put such items back on. Walking into the basement he didn't look around the shadows, this was were he had always felt safe why should today be any different. Never again would he be that negligent. His riffle was missing, though it didn't take him long to find it, clasped by one Ari Haswari who emerged from the shadows. _Shit._

--

She walked fast, glad for the flat-soled shoes that the Mossad had provided her. She had parked half a block away on the opposite side of the street not wanting to draw attention to herself, in case Ari was inside Gibbs's house. Her red hair billowed around her as she walked, she hadn't bothered to take the time to tie it back, and time was of the essence. Ziva's call had frightened her, she didn't agree with the supposed plan no matter who had come up with it. Gibbs wasn't infallible, wasn't this whole situation proof of that?

Noticing Gibbs's car in the driveway she tried to avoid walking by the basement windows. If he was home that was probably where he would be. Walking up the steps to the front door, she placed one hand on the knob and the other on her sidearm. She knew that Gibbs always kept his door unlocked so if she found it locked she would know something was up. Twisting it gently she held back a sigh as if gave under her slight pressure.

She walked softly through the kitchen seeing no sign of life. A Chinese take out container sat lonely on the counter. Moving into the living room she saw that it too was empty, a portable DVD player set open on the coffee table. It surprised her she didn't think that Gibbs was the kind of man who would watch too many movies.

Moving towards the hallway she saw that the basement door was open, and that voices were coming softly from the opening. Men's voices, Ari's voice. She moved close enough to the opening so that she could see what was going on inside, what she saw could have been part of her nightmare. Ari was holding an unarmed Gibbs hostage with a sniper rifle.

Gibbs was walking backwards slowly, keeping Ari in his line of vision as the other man walked around the skeleton of the unfinished boat. She brought her weapon up slowly, taking the time to aim carefully, she had the opportunity to end this now. She watched as Ari brought the rifle up preparing to kill the men she loved. But he wouldn't get the chance. She took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger noting with satisfaction that her bullet lodged in his forehead the same place where he had attempted to shoot her.

Gibbs turned around looking for who had saved him, and indecision seized her. Should she give in to her emotions and run down the steps to throw herself into his arms. Should she attempt to salvage her cover by leaving the scene before he could get a good look at her. After all she had sworn that she would avoid all contact with her former teammates, though surely Ziva knew that she couldn't have come into his house and still be able to avoid him. Making up her mind she stepped forward, and began to walk slowly down the stairs.


	8. Chapter Seven

Author's Note: Thanks to all the people who read and reviewed this story! Welcome to the end, I hope that you like it. I'm a sucker for happy endings but I am contemplating a sequel in this little AU universe I have created so the happiness might not always be forever. Let me know what you think. :)

Chapter Seven

He knew it was her, knew it the minute she started to walk down the stairs. It didn't matter that her hair was red, that the dim light of his basement showed him that her eyes were a bright green. It was her. "Katie." He whispered. She nodded and just kept walking, coming to stand before him.

He couldn't move, couldn't speak. He knew that this could be a hallucination, knew that it could just be his mind playing tricks on him, but that didn't feel right. A hallucination could never have killed Ari, and he was certainly dead. The large dark pool of blood not fifteen feet away from him was testament to that.

She seemed as numb as him, as if her journey down the stairs had taken all the energy she possessed. He just starred at her, into her eyes, eyes that seemed so out of place. He watched as the tear formed before it began to slide down her cheek. Snapping out of his trance he lifted a hand to stop its' path but she stopped him, the fingers of her left hand meshing with his.

Her touch electrified him and he let his eyes close savoring the sensation. God how he had missed her. He didn't care how she had come to stand here in his basement. Didn't care how she had come to be alive, how the hand touching his was filled with the warmth of life and not the coldness of death. Opening his eyes he watched silently as she removed her coloured contacts, letting them fall to the floor, before looking up at him with big brown eyes. Her eyes, Kate's eyes. Eyes that he felt could see into his very soul.

Gently he tugged on the hand that was still gripped in his, bringing her closer to him, as his right hand traveled up her arm to cup her cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed as her face turned slightly to place a barely there kiss against his wrist. He leaned in closer and knew that there was no force in the universe that was going to stop him from kissing her.

"Open your eyes." He whispered, his breath washing gently over her face. She did as he requested and their eyes locked for the briefest of moments before she felt his lips on hers. His kiss was slow and gentle, soft and sweet. It was everything that he didn't know he was still capable of. His hand tangled further into her hair, while hers slid around his waist pulling him closer.

When his lungs screamed for oxygen he sucked lightly on her bottom lip before pulling away just enough to rest his forehead against her miraculously blemish free one. Now was the time to become fully regret free. Opening his mouth once more he said softly, "I love you." With a slight smile and a breathless chuckle he continued. "I think I've loved you since I met you." Only she could make him feel so careless and open, like schoolboy with his first crush.

"I know." Was all she said. Her eyes sparkled, and tears began streaming from them, but they didn't seem to dampen the smile that was stretching from ear to ear. "I know, because I feel the same."

She was going to say more but she didn't get the chance, her words had been lost somewhere in his mouth. This kiss was nothing like the first, this was filled with passion and tongue and mixed breath. Filled with love, devotion and promises for the future, no matter what form that future decided to take.

Pausing once more in order to breathe, he released their joined hands just long enough to bring her hand up to his chest, where he let it rest while he reached underneath his shirt and freed her cross. She held the symbol in her hands feeling the heat that it held. He reached behind his head to try and undo the clasp but her hands on his arms stilled him.

"Keep it. I want you to have it." Her voice was filled with such conviction that he could feel his own eyes filling with tears.

"But it is yours. A symbol of all that you believe in."

"I'm a different person now." Her words brought the whole situation crashing down. Kate Todd was dead. She was in fact scheduled to be buried later today.

"No you're not." He pulled her over to a sawhorse, sitting down side by side. "You will never stop being Kate, no matter what the government says, you will always be my Katie."

She moved to sit on his lap and buried her head in his shoulder, he could tell by the wetness he felt that her tears had started again. His arms encircled her protectively, holding her close. Bending his head he whispered a promise in her ear. "We will be together, I promise I will find a way." Trying to lighten the mood he went on. "You know I can be a real bastard when I don't get my way." He was rewarded with her slight laugh.

"I think I know what you mean." Her muffled voice spoke up from his shoulder. For a moment they just sat in silence each taking comfort from the others presence. "You know what else I know?" She asked bring her face to look at him.

"What?"

"You smell like wet dog. When was the last time you changed?" Her mention of time caused him to look at his watch.

"I have to go and get dressed. You see there was this woman I worked with who decided to go and fake her own death, and now I have to go or I will be late for her funeral. You wouldn't have any idea who that would be do you?"

"Nope, not a one."

"Good, cause this woman's death made me realize how much I loved her, and caused me practically unbearable pain." He was smiling and his voice was light but the subject matter was not.

"Is this kind of pain the kind that can be kissed away?" She asked with a smile of her own. She watched him for a moment, before her smile faded away and she turned serious. "I really am sorry Gibbs." She pulled herself back in his arms, tucking her head underneath his chin.

"I know." He murmured into her hair, placing a light kiss to the top of her head as his hand reached up to stroke the red mass. "I know."

While he could have stayed like this for eternity he really did have to go to her funeral. Pulling her up for one last lingering kiss, he stood, guiding her feet fall carefully to the floor. "I do have to go. Can you call someone to get the body?" He asked gesturing to the dead terrorist who still lay on the cold cement floor.

"Yes, I'll call Ziva. She is probably still waiting for you to show up on the rooftop." She followed him upstairs pulling her new cell phone from her pocket as she went.

When he returned to the kitchen ten minutes later in a dark suit, she was busy looking in the fridge for something to eat. "You'll be here when I get back?" At his words she immediately reached for her gun, though her hand quickly dropped when she saw that it was him. "It's good to see that you don't let down your guard, not even for me."

"Especially not for you." She bantered back. "And yes I will be here when you come back, there is nowhere else I would rather be." Satisfied with her answer he gave her another quick kiss before heading out the door.

--

Walking away from the empty grave, he smiled listening as Abby's jazz music filled the air. Placing one hand at her back and guiding Jen with the other, he let happiness fill him. Soon he would talk to the Director and figure out where to go from here, soon he would deliver the happy news to his team. Kate was alive and well, and a redhead at that. But for the immediate future he had more pressing plans, plans that included a warm bed and beautiful red hair splayed over a pillow.

The next morning, when the pale rays of dawn sunshine filtered through a gap in his bedroom curtain, to illuminate a naked sleeping Kate Todd splayed over his chest, he knew. Knew that he had once again found complete happiness, and that no one was going to take such happiness away from him again. Closing his eyes against the light he shifted slightly and pulled her closer before he let sleep encompass him. Today he was calling in sick.


End file.
